The Sea Side Songs

Posted on 28/05/2022 on Trivia – The Spice of Life

[ I have successfully completed two years of blogging. My family, friends and readers who stop by and comment have encouraged me to continue writing. Despite my busy schedule, I try and take some time out for my passion. ]

One of the luxuries of staying in a coastal city (like Mumbai) is that of getting a glimpse of the vast, endless sea whenever you wish to. There is a certain aura that the sea has. Hotels charge extra for rooms which have a view of the sea. Many visitors who come to Mumbai in fact shell out extra for getting a hotel room with a view of the sea. Such is the enchantment with the sea. Many like to spend some quiet time just observing the sea, sitting on the beach. The boundless spread of water, the surging waves, the bobbing boats, the fishing nets, the sandy beaches and the coconut palms swaying majestically – all of them have their own charm. The best part about the sea is that it knows its limits and it does not cross them. The day the sea crosses its limits, life is surely going to get extinct on our planet.

The beach has something to offer to everyone. For the more pensive and philosophical ones, just sitting quietly and seeing the waves washing the shore is fulfilling. For the more playful, beach volleyball is an exciting option. The children too love to build sand castles and decorate them. Sand castles on the beach perhaps are more tangible than castles in the air.

While most beaches in the coastal cities are crowded and unclean, thankfully there are still quite a few in quaint places such as Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, where the beaches are pristine and untouched. If you are lucky, you could be the only one on the beach. The feet sinking in the sand is a very strange feeling as you tread on the sandy beach. Looking for shells on the beach is so much innocent fun with the clichéd tongue twister playing at the back of our mind – she sells sea shells on the sea shore. Drawing patterns and writing your name on the sand only to see it getting washed away by the waves is so humbling. It shows how powerful nature is and how transient human life is.

The focus of this post as you would have fathomed by now is on songs shot on the beach. There are quite a few songs shot on the beach in Hindi films. The beach is a beautiful locale to shoot a song- be it sad or bubbly, philosophical or downright worldly. There is hardly any thing needed to dress the scene when the waves begin to surge. I have only chosen songs where the entire song is shot on the sea shore. So here is a list of ten songs shot on the beach. The moods are myriad. I have tried to include some popular and some lesser known songs. It is therefore quite possible that the songs you expected to find are missing from this post. (e.g. Sagar Kinaare from Sagar). The songs are by and large of the golden era.

1) Roun Main Saagar Ke Kinare (Nagina, 1951) Lyricist : Shailendra; Music Directors : Shankar Jaikishan; Playback Singer : C.H.Atma. This is one of the best songs of C.H.Atma where he sounds so much like K.L.Saigal. Nasir Khan sings the song on screen in a melancholic and contemplative mood as he pours out his woes. However, he does not emote enough. Shailendra’s lyrics are top class. It is as though the playful waves are competing with the protagonist and are cocking a snook at him. Sample these lyrics:-

Roun main saagar ke kinaare
saagar hansi udaaye
kyaa jaane ye chanchal lehren
main hoon aag chupaaye

main bhi itna doob chukaa hoon
kyaa teri gehraai
kaahe hod lagaaye mo se, kaahe hod lagaaye

2) Saagar Pe Aaj Moujon Ka Raaj (Rangoli, 1962) Lyricist : Shailendra; Music Directors : Shankar Jaikishan; Playback Singer : Lata Mangeshkar & Chorus. This song again shot on the beach and referring to the sea in its lyrics is also penned by Shailendra. The mood is so different from the song above. The heroine (Vyjyantimala) and her friends are enjoying their picnic on the sea shore. There is fun and frolic and beach games are being played. The heroine of course is expectantly waiting for her beloved to come. The waves are asked to become her messenger to get the hero to meet her. The entire atmosphere is so romantic – be it the waves or the coconut palms.

Sagar ke kinaare jaaun
tujh ko pukaare jaaun
lehron ke sang doloon
maujon se kaho ke jaao
piya ko bula laao
jinki hoon ab ho loon

3) Jaaye To Jaaye Kahan (Taxi Driver, 1954) Lyricist : Sahir Ludhianvi; Music Director : S.D.Burman ; Playback Singer : Talat Mahmood. There are two versions of the song – one by Lata and the other by Talat. However, I personally love the Talat version as the pathos is greater and it is more tastefully picturised. After dropping his lady at the place she had long been searching for, Dev Anand – a taxi driver – is dejected and he feels that his entire world has come crashing down. He writes her name – Mala – on the beach and the waves wash it away. The entire song is sung on the beach with the body language clearly conveying desperation and despondency. This song is said to have been inspired by Rabindra Sangeet.

4) Aaj Puraani Raahon Se (Aadmi, 1968) Lyricist : Shakeel Badayuni; Music Director : Naushad ; Playback Singer : Md.Rafi. This movie tells the story of an insecure, obsessive lover against the background of a love triangle. The movie had some very good songs. There is another song shot close to the sea shore – Na Aadmi Ka Koi Bharosa. The littoral landscape is beautifully captured with Dilip Kumar limping with the support of his crutches. It is said to have had Dilip Kumar emoting beautifully, despite being confined to a wheel chair in a major part of the film. In this song which is shot on the beach near the breath taking Shore temple of Mahabalipuram, the dashing waves and the swaying trees almost represent the turmoil in the mind of Dilip Kumar when he realises that his wife has a past and that his best friend was her lover. As he looks at the temple, there is a sense of detachment and one of moving on. And so the lines go:-

Jeevan badla duniya badli, mann ko anokha gyaan mila
aaj mujhe apne hi dil mein ek naya insaan mila
pahuncha hu wahaan, nahin door jahaan
bhagvaan bhi meri nigaahon se
aaj purani raahon se koi mujhe aawaaz na de

5) Haath Aaya Hain Jab Se (Dil aur Mohabbat, 1969) Lyricist : Shevan Rizvi; Music Director : O.P.Nayyar; Playback Singers : Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle. This is a lovely duet shot on the sea shore accompanied by the breezy music of O P Nayyar which perfectly sets the tone for this song of commitment. But then there is some hero worship with the heroine going down on her knees doing full justice to the lyrics she lip syncs. The song features Sharmila Tagore and Joy Mukherjee.

6) Stella O Stella ( Return of Superman, 1960) Lyricist : Sahir Ludhianvi; Music Director : Anil Biswas ; Playback Singers : Meena Kapoor & Mahendra Kapoor. This song is truly heart warming though the film is totally nondescript. Sahir’s lyrics are very enjoyable. The song features Naazi and Majnu. The couple enjoy each other’s company and break into an impromptu dance. This song was a real discovery as far as this post goes.

7) Madbhari Yeh Hawaein (Anokha Daan, 1972) Lyricist : Gulzar; Music Director : Salil Chowdhury; Playback Singer : Lata Mangeshkar. This masterpiece from a low budget film deserves more popularity than it got. Shot on a beach on Zaahira, one can also see Anil Dhawan and Dev Kishan in the song. The waves of the sea go very well with the lilting melody of Salil Da. This song is one of my favourite Salil Chowdhury songs.

8) Maana Ho Tum Behad Haseen (Toote Khilone,1978) Lyricist : Kaifi Azmi ; Music Director : Bappi Lahri ; Playback Singer : Yesudas. This is a less heard song penned by Kaifi Azmi. The song is picturised on Shabana Azmi (Kaifi’s daughter) and Shekar Kapur (who is quite unimpressive!) on the rocky beach. The film did not do well but this song stands out. The different hues of the sea and the sun are very well captured in the song.

9) Raat Kali Ek Khwaab Mein Aayi (Buddha Mil Gaya, 1971) Lyricist : Majrooh Sultanpuri; Music Director : R.D.Burman ; Playback Singer : Kishore Kumar. This is a melodious song that is very tastefully picturised at Land’s End, Bandra, just off the sea. The rocky beach and the fortification, both feature in the song. While Archana, the heroine, did not make a mark in films, Navin Nischol definitely did better than her and has some lovely songs to his credit.

10) Dheere Dheere Subah Hui (Haisiyat, 1984) Lyricist : Indeevar; Music Director : Bappi Lahri ; Playback Singer : Yesudas. This is a lovely song to begin the day with. Bappi Lahiri has used Raag Ahir Bhairav so beautifully. This is a not a typical Jeetendra song. He is rather subdued and composed as demanded by the mood of the song. There is a female version of the song as well sung by Vani Jairam.

This ends my list of ten songs – some very popular and some not so well known. The common string of course are the waves of the sea which weave them all together. There are several songs shot on the beach, which is a picturesque location that does not need further embellishment. The Mahabalipuram beach close to the Shore Temple seems to have been one of the preferred beaches in the movies made in South India. Mumbai too, which houses the Hindi and Marathi film industry, boasts of several beaches which have been fruitfully used by film makers. The beach with its shifting sands that send you off balance will forever remain a favourite spot for all and sundry as well as film makers.

Disclaimer

anitamultitasker.wordpress.com claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from Daily Motion, YouTube and other platforms only to make the post audio visual. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.